A jury previously awarded Tony Saxon $140,000 in damages based on claims he was injured while working on West's $57 million California home
Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Kanye West has filed a new motion asking a judge to overturn a jury’s previous decision finding the rapper liable in his Malibu mansion trial
- Tony Saxon claims he was underpaid, injured and wrongfully terminated while working on West’s $57 million California mansion in 2021
- West’s legal team argues Saxon presented no evidence of physical harm and is not able to receive damages as an unlicensed contractor
- A jury previously ordered the musician to pay $140,000 in damages, based solely on Saxon’s injury claims
Kanye West has filed a new motion asking a judge to overturn the jury’s decision finding the rapper liable in his Malibu mansion trial.
In a March 13 court filing, obtained by PEOPLE, the 48-year-old Grammy-winner, who now goes by Ye, asks a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to grant a new trial or reverse the jury’s previous decision ordering the artist to pay over $100,000 in damages.
The decision came after a two-week trial where Tony Saxon alleged he wasn’t paid, was seriously injured and was wrongfully terminated while working on West’s $57 million Malibu home. Saxon initially sought $1.7 million in compensatory damages, but the jury only awarded him $140,000 with no additional punitive damages, per court documents obtained by PEOPLE. The award was based solely on his injury claims, both parties previously confirmed to PEOPLE.
Credit: backgrid
During closing arguments, Saxon’s attorneys argued he was unjustly fired by West after allegedly injuring his back and neck on the job, NBC News reported.
However, West’s newest motion argues Saxon presented no evidence of physical harm and is not able to receive damages as an unlicensed contractor.
“This case went to the jury without a single admissible medical bill, without any medical records establishing injury, and without expert testimony grounded in any reliable causation or valuation methodology,” the motion says. “Yet the jury nevertheless awarded Plaintiff $100,000 in economic damages—$50,000 for past economic loss and $50,000 for future economic loss. That award cannot stand.”
Despite the “absence of substantial evidence” supporting Saxon’s claimed damages, the motion further argues that he’d be unable to collect the damages because “no legally permissible theory supports it.”
“If the award represents medical damages, it lacks the substantial evidentiary support required under California law. If it represents compensation for the construction work [Saxon] performed, it is barred by the contractor licensing statutes,” the motion says, adding, “At a minimum, the Court should order a new trial limited to damages.”
Ronald Zambrano, Saxon’s attorney, tells PEOPLE they’ve reviewed the motion and called it an “attempt to relitigate an issue that was already denied by the Court prior to trial.”
He adds: “We have a strong confidence the judge will make the same decisions and leave the jury’s verdict as is.”
PEOPLE has reached out to West’s attorneys and representative for comment.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Credit: Tony Saxon
In Saxon’s initial civil complaint, first filed in September 2023, he claims he was hired as a project manager for the property in September 2021. He was allegedly hired to act as “full-time security” and a “live-in caretaker” for the home at a pay rate of $20,000 a week.
Saxon further claimed he only ever received one of those $20,000 payments. He also alleged he was forced to sleep in “makeshift conditions” on the property, “finding empty spaces on the ground and using his coat as a makeshift bedding,” per the civil complaint. West allegedly ignored these complaints.
Read the full article here
